Hitting the Nail on the Head

Hitting the Nail on the Head Hitting the Nail on the Head Hitting the Nail on the Head By Maeve Maddox Somewhere, in an email or on Facebook or on a news blog, I saw this: But she hammered the head on the nail with this quote. How odd, I thought. Shouldn’t it be, â€Å"she hammered the nail on the head†? A Google search brings up 683,000 results for â€Å"hit the head on the nail† compared to 1,580,000 for â€Å"hit the nail on the head.† The phrase â€Å"the head on the nail† registers on the Ngram Viewer, but barely, compared to â€Å"the nail on the head.† The earliest citation of the expression in the OED is dated 1438. It’s not so easy to hit a nail squarely on the head. For that reason, â€Å"to hit the nail on the head† is a term of approbation. Figuratively, people who hit the nail on the head succeed in accomplishing what they are aiming for. Most of the examples I’ve found of the reversed idiom have been in readers’ comments, but I have found a few in presumably professional writing. For example, this one, with inexplicable hyphenation, is from a technical review: You have to remember though that Apple may or may not be upgrading the iPad again before the end of the year (this comes from John Gruber a known Apple pundit that tends to hit-the-head-on-the-nail when it comes to Apple rumors). A site dedicated to test preparation has this topic header: SAT Improvement or Hit the head on the nail This one is from a sports blog: These commercials are coolbut rarely do they hit the head on the nail of a player like Nike has done with these Calvin Johnson, P. Diddy advertisements. I found one example in which the reversal seems intended to be humorous: I could try for a long time to hit the head on the nail (as one of my writing students once said)- Writing advice site A review of the film Fifty Shades of Grey includes the following bit of dialogue: Christian – Have you been drinking?   Ana – Yup, you hit the head on the nail. It could be that this reversal is the result of Ana’s alcohol-impaired thinking. Changing â€Å"hit the nail on the head† to â€Å"hit the head on the nail† is jarring, to say the least. Writers who wish to be taken seriously will avoid doing it. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a US Business Letter36 Poetry TermsPresent Participle as Adjective

The Fullest Essay Rubric for Writing an Impressive Paper for Your English Course

The Fullest Essay Rubric for Writing an Impressive Paper for Your English Course The Fullest Essay Rubric for Writing an Impressive Paper for Your English Course While everybody tells you that grades are not the most important things in your student life, you still get very happy when your efforts are evaluated with an â€Å"A†, and very upset when your professor thinks you deserve a â€Å"C† or something lower. That’s why before your points are announced, you always hope for the better outcome (even if you haven’t done anything for it, except for watching a few Netflix episodes). However, it’s a real buster when you spend a great deal of time and effort, and still get downgraded for some minor mistakes and inconsistencies. But we are here to change this situation, at least when it comes to essay production. Academic writing is a peculiar discipline where the knowledge of rules, techniques and core fundamentals play pretty much the same role as your talent. It is not enough here just to tell a great story – it is important to make it relevant and create a proper structure, and these factors will be evaluated even more meticulously than the actual plot. That’s why this time in our essay rubric we’ve created a table with the most essential criteria the professors take into account while evaluating your writing. If you always consider them while producing an essay, you will constantly get more than a â€Å"B†. So, go and explore it backward and forward! Criteria /Assessment A B C D F Grade Percentage Research Question The question is stated in the intro and conclusion, and is answered in the essay. The question is stated in the intro and conclusion, and is partly answered in the essay. The question is not stated neither in the intro nor in the conclusion, but is answered in the essay. The question is not stated neither in the intro nor in the conclusion, but is partly answered in the essay. The question is not stated neither in the intro nor in the conclusion, and is not answered in the essay. 15% Relevance The content of the essay is fully relevant to the topic; all the information bits are used to answer the research question. The content of the essay is fully relevant to the topic; the majority of information bits are used to answer the research question. The content of the essay is partly relevant to the topic; some information bits are used to answer the research question. The content of the essay is slightly relevant to the topic; few information bits are used to answer the research question. The content of the essay is NOT relevant to the topic; none of the information bits are used to answer the research question. 15% Introduction It is engaging, contains a research question together with a concise and clear thesis statement. It is more or less engaging, contains a research question together with a generalized thesis statement. It is not engaging, the research question and thesis statement are vague. It is not engaging, doesn’t have a research question, but there is a generalized thesis statement. It is not engaging, doesn’t have a research question or thesis statement. 5% Research Quality The research has been well planned, its results answer the main question and the sufficient number of sources were consulted. The research answers the question, though seems chaotic; the sufficient number of sources were consulted. The research answers the question, but is very chaotic; a few sources were consulted, though not enough. The research partly answers the main question, it is not planned and a few sources were consulted, though not enough. The research doesn’t answer the question, is very chaotic and not enough sources were consulted. 15% Reasoned Argument All the arguments are perfectly logical, clear and coherent. The majority of arguments are logical, clear and coherent. Some arguments are logical, clear and coherent. The majority of arguments are irrational, vague and incohesive. All the arguments are irrational, vague and incohesive. 10% Argument Support Each point is supported with solid evidence. The majority of points are supported with solid evidence. Some points are supported with solid evidence. A few points are supported with solid evidence. All the points are NOT supported and look weak. 10% Conclusion It has a restated research question with the thesis statement, summarizes all the points of the essay and adds some prospects for the further research. It has a restated research question with the thesis statement, summarizes all the points of the essay. It just repeats the thesis statement, and enumerates the points mentioned in the essay. It doesn’t mention the research question or thesis statement, but summarizes the points. It is not relevant to the research question, thesis statement or essay’s body whatsoever. 5% References Quality All the sources are relevant, up-to-date and reliable. The majority of the sources are relevant, up-to-date and reliable. Some of the sources are taken from online no-name articles, but the rest is reliable. The majority of the sources are not reliable, outdated or irrelevant. All the sources are untrustworthy, outdated or irrelevant. 10% Structure The essay has a clear cut structure (intro, main body, conclusion) together with a standard paragraph skeleton (topic sentence, proof, transition). Some elements of the essay structure (intro, main body, conclusion) or paragraph skeleton (topic sentence, proof, transition) are missing, but the majority is there. There is not enough gradual transition between paragraphs; the structure misses one/two core elements. There is not enough gradual transition between paragraphs; the structure misses the majority of core elements. There is no gradual transition; there is no structure in the essay. 15% Print this table and hang it on the wall beside your studying place – every time you’ll write a custom essay it will help you to include all the significant elements and polish your writing to the maximum. Even if you don’t manage to follow all the criteria for the â€Å"A† grade, you will 100% improve your piece because you will aim for the best score. We wish you good luck with that!

Maternity Leave and Family Pregnancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Maternity Leave and Family Pregnancy - Essay Example The essay "Maternity Leave and Family Pregnancy" talks about the maternity leave which refers to the period of time that a new mother takes off from work following the birth of her baby. It is similar to paternity leave being offered by many companies. And planning a maternity leave is very important for the mother-to-be because it saves them from unexpected financial pressures and burden of family responsibilities. Maternity leave can be started just before the expected date of delivery so that mothers can spend most of their leave with the baby. However, it is important, according to FMLA to provide a notice to the manager, 30 days prior to the delivery. This will be unpaid leave. The maximum leave that a mother can get is a leave of 12 months in a year. The FMLA leave applies both to the mother and the father, who can utilize this leave in the same period like overlapping each other’s leaves, or in consecutive periods so that one of the two parents is available to the child and the rest of the family. Pregnancy and parenting bring new joys to the whole family. A new addition is very exciting for all members of the family. Although the 9-month pregnancy demands much patience and care from the mother-to-be, the rest of the family must play their role in comforting the mother and preparing for the newcomer. For example, the dad-to-be should try to spend extra time with his wife to soothe her and should take care of her if she is in pain or any sort of discomfort that may come with pregnancy.

CAse study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CAse study - Research Paper Example The major considerations is whether there exists a trade off in the amount of revenue that hospital earns and the speed up to which the revenue is collected. According to an empirical test conducted between 2004 and 2006 on the relationship that exists among vital financial effective hospital revenue cycle management measures. The article clearly shows that with increased revenue collection there is an increased amount of net patient income for every adjusted discharge, reduced contractual budgets, as well as reduced bad debts. On the other hand, the charity care provisions are higher in hospitals with that have a higher revenue collection speed. Therefore, the article comes up with a conclusion that there is no evidence trade off that exists between patent revenue amount and the revenue collection speed. However, these financial gains of effectual hospital revenue cycle management in most cases go hand in hand. Thus, it is indicated that early results are a complementary, showing th at effectual hospital revenue cycle management attains a multiple of positive results. Another article â€Å"The State of Health Care Revenue Cycle.† By Solomon P. (2011). Suggests that revenue cycle management in all administrative and clinical activities have a relationship to generating and collecting patient revenue. These activates have gained a lot of importance in current business environment whereby hospitals receive challenges in underpayments and delay in payments. Although there is continued practitioners interest, there is no much attention drawn from revenue cycle management in health care financial research. There are studies that have been conducted on current revenue cycle management procedures with an aim of coming up with a financial gains measure in the context of increasing the amount of patient speed in the revenue collection. According to correlation analysis,

Assertions and Audit evidence Essay Example for Free

Assertions and Audit evidence Essay 1. The allowance for doubtful accounts is fairly presented in amount. * Valuation or allocation assertion 2. All accounts payable owed as of the balance sheet date are included in the financial statements. * Existence or occurrence assertion 3. All purchase returns recorded in the general ledger are valid. * Existence or occurrence assertion 4. The allowance for doubtful accounts is fairly presented in amount. * Valuation or allocation assertion 5. All accounts payable owed as of the balance sheet date are included in the financial statements. * Completeness assertion 6. All purchase returns recorded in the general ledger are valid. * Existence or occurrence assertion 7. A retail client values its inventory using the retail method of accounting. * Valuation or allocation assertion 8. A construction client uses the percentage of completion method for recognizing revenues. * Existence or occurrence assertion 9. A client has a defined benefit pension plan and does not have competent employees to write footnote disclosures. * Presentation and disclosure assertion – classifications and understandability 10. Slow-moving items included in inventory have been properly identified and priced. * Valuation or allocation assertion 11. A client financed the acquisition of assets using preferred stock that pays a 3 percent dividend and must be redeemed from the shareholders next year. * Rights and obligations assertion 1. Bank statement sent directly to the auditor by the bank. (1) – Most reliable 2. Creditor monthly statement obtained from clients files. (2) – Reliable, but subject to possible forgery 3. Vouchers in clients unpaid voucher file. (4) Least reliable 4. Duplicate sales invoices in filled order file. (4) Least reliable 5. Time tickets filed in payroll department. (4) Least reliable 6. Credit memo in customers file. (4) Least reliable 7. Material requisitions filed in storeroom. (4) Least reliable 8. Bank statement in clients files. (2) Generally reliable 9. Management working papers in making accounting estimates. (4) Least reliable 10. Paid checks returned with bank statement in (1) above. (3) Somewhat reliable 11. Letter in customer file from collection agency on collectability of balance. (2) Generally reliable 12. Memo in customer file from treasurer authorizing the write-off of the account. (4) Least reliable

Marijuana Should NOT Be Legal in America Essay -- Legalization of Marij

All Americans have their ideas on legalizing marijuana, yet they need to make sure they have done substantial research using past experiences the American people have already experienced from using this drug; also they need to take a good look into what the actual outcomes are of smoking marijuana, before making a final decision on whether or not to legalize marijuana for medical purposes or any other reason. Americans will look at health and social issues as well as review money matters concerning legalizing marijuana and realize it is not right for the United States . First, Americans should know what marijuana actually is before they would even consider legalizing it. Marijuana, also known as pot, is a dried out weed that mixes the leaves, stems and even the flower of the cannabis, or the hemp plant and taken into the human body. It can be taken in by either smoking it or it taking it in with food. The main ingredient in marijuana is THC, which is short for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (National Institute on Drug Abuse). THC is the most psychoactive compound found in marijuana (Taylor). â€Å"Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug† (Wilbur, J). The ingredients in this plant is very dangerous and unhealthy for the human body. Now that Americans know what marijuana is, and some of the ingredients in it, they should consider the negative effect that marijuana has in the health of the human body and how it affects the social aspects of the American people. First, look at some health issues associated with marijuana. Smoking marijuana can lead to withdrawal from the drug, some of those withdrawals included increased sleepiness, and the â€Å"munchies† ( Taylor). After smoking marijuana the heart ... ...6 Oct. 2010 GroupName=Viewpoints&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&document Id=GALE%7CEJ3010018224&mode=view&userGroupName=lincclin_lcc&jsid=177301e50 514b9b1a3e3a10b17219900>. Margolis, Robert, ed. "Legalizing Marijuana Would Harm Teens." Legalizing Drugs (2006). Linccweb. Web. 25 Oct. 2010 ailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?di>. "NIDA Info Facts: Marijuana." National Institute on Drug Abuse. 2009. Web. 15 Oct. 2010 . Taylor, Robert B. Taylor's Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges. [New York]: Springer Science+Business Media, 2005. 124-25. Print. Wilbur, J. "Pg 850." Family Practice Examination and Board Review. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2005. Print .

Compare how love is presented in three poems in the Poetry Anthology Essay

Plena Timoris by Thomas Hardy, Refugee Mother and Child by Chinua Achebe and Piano by D. H. Lawrence are all poems that explore the theme of love, although they may seem very different at first glance. Plena Timoris tells of two young lovers’ relationship as it ends, while Refugee Mother and Child shows the strong bond between a mother and her child and Piano takes the poet down the road of remembrance into his childhood. As many readers would know, love can be a painful thing. However, the first stanza of Plena Timoris portrays a seemingly perfect and flawless love of a man and woman. The poet constructs the setting to be that of a typical love poem by using the images of â€Å"parapet-stone† and â€Å"the moon in its southing directly blent / its silver with their environment†, the moon being a symbol of romance and secret meetings with lovers in the 19th century, the time of the poem. The alliteration of the â€Å"l† sound in â€Å"lovers looked† and â€Å"laughed and leant† suggests that the lovers are harmonious and at one with each other and their surroundings as the â€Å"l† sound is one that is soft, smooth, flowing and not at all abrupt. The image of â€Å"his arm around her† shows the sense of security within their relationship, the regular rhyme scheme of ABBAB and the regular structure of four stanzas of five lines, adding to this security, comfort and predictability. This very positive portrayal of love convinces the reader to pursue love as love is shown as achievable perfection and therefore links love to perfection. Refugee Mother and Child illustrates a different type of love: the affections of a mother for her child. The poet alludes to the recognized image of the Madonna and Child to show the eternal love of a mother for her child and that this love is universal whether it is between the Madonna and Child or a refugee and her son. The poet also implies his thoughts on how the love of the refugee for her child is greater and more tender than the love of the Madonna as the refugee is in a very bleak situation. This greater love is shown by â€Å"no Madonna could touch that picture of a mother’s tenderness.† The purity and strength of the mother’s love is shown through the synaesthia â€Å"singing in her eyes†, symbolising the hope and pride of the mother despite the bleak circumstance. Positive phrases and nouns, such as â€Å"pride† and â€Å"flowers†, are scarce in the poem, causing them to stand out even more against the many negative phrases. This contrast makes the good seem better than it is, and the impact that these nouns have is made stronger and stronger as the poem goes on. Piano, on the poet’s close relationship with his mother is another positive portrayal of love between a mother and her child. However, it is shown in a different perspective in that it is from the perspective of the child. The sibilance in â€Å"smiles as she sings† helps to replicate the calm and relaxed atmosphere of â€Å"the cosy parlour† and the warm affections of the mother and child. This is added to by â€Å"the heart of me weeps to belong† as the heart is where deep feelings are said to originate and belong. It also emphasises that the mother is the emotional heart of the poet’s childhood, as she is of Piano. It is obvious that there is a strong bond between the poet and his mother, and this sense of security and predictability is heightened by the regular rhyme scheme of AABB, which is a reminder of the patterns of melody in music, and the constant structure of four lines in each stanza. To me though, the sense of security that the poet felt at home is surprising, given that his childhood was overshadowed by negativities, such as his father who was a heavy drinker. However, this serves only to further communicate the poet’s love for his mother, emphasising that his mother was the emotional heart of his childhood as she is of Piano. All three poems contain positive elements of love in their different portrayals. However, all three poems also bear with them, pain and sadness. Refugee Mother and Child conveys the negative of the situation it portrays in extreme. There is death and disease all around and â€Å"the air was heavy with odours / of diarrhoea†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , but in contrast to what I would have expected, death brought the mother and child closer together. The poet mentions how things would have been different â€Å"in another life†, and future conditionals in the past tense such as â€Å"would have been† and â€Å"would have to forget† serve to separate the mother from the alternative lifestyle that we in the wealthy portion of the world take for granted. As a result of the separation, the act of â€Å"part[ing] it (the child’s hair† becomes greatly significant as it would be a â€Å"daily act of no consequence† in the alternative life, but instead, it was as though she was â€Å"putting flowers on a tiny grave†. This image that the poem builds up to is a final representation of death as it is often seen at funerals, showing that the mother is preparing her child for his death as she parts her child’s hair, making it perfect as she would do had he been dead. In this, death brings them together as the mother wants more time with her son, and treasures the physical contact with him as she parts his hair â€Å"carefully†. In contrast, death tears apart the lovers in Plena Timoris, as the girl in the poem seemingly becomes the drowned woman when she hears of the tragedy. The negative undertone of the poem shows through in the title itself which is Latin for â€Å"a woman full of fear and dread†, describing at first the woman who â€Å"drowned herself for the love of a man† and then describing the girl in the poem as â€Å"her arm dropt from his†. This contrasts the image of â€Å"his arm around her† at the beginning of the poem, and this represents the loss of emotional closeness between the lovers. â€Å"They said; climbed over; slid down; let go† has many unnatural pauses, and is deliberately confusing to the reader, mirroring the lovers’ confusion. The sudden end to their closeness is shown in â€Å"until he grew tired. But she†¦Ã¢â‚¬  as it is the only line with a full stop in the middle, which represents the end of their relationship. The cynicism the poem has towards love is also shown through the men who retrieve the woman’s body who say â€Å"so much for love in this mortal sphere!† The use of the phrase â€Å"mortal sphere† suggests that the poet thinks the only true love you can have faith in is religious love and piety, and that relationships are essentially â€Å"mortal† and doomed. Having seen love as perfection at the beginning, the negativities that start in stanza two bring a dreadful low to the reader. I, myself, felt disappointment and â€Å"hopeless despair† and was persuaded that love is, in essence, condemned – that true love like what was shown at the beginning of the poem, can never be found and will never last. Piano, although it doesn’t refer to death, is also a poem that is tinted with melancholy. The tone of the poem is nostalgic and wistful and emphasis on this longing is furthered by phrases such as â€Å"I weep like a child for the past†, showing that it is impossible to go back. The poem is written in present tense, and this further distances the poet from the past that he cannot revisit. The poet writes that the â€Å"song / betrays me (the poet) back† and the alliteration on the harsh â€Å"b† sound adds to the effect of the word â€Å"betrays†, which has negative connotations such as distrust. The choice of the word â€Å"betrays† suggests that it was not by his own will that he is revisiting his memories and the immense love he has for his mother, and this leads me to think that it was not socially acceptable to break down and be as emotional as in Piano, and research into the Victorian era when the poem was written shows this to be true. With the pressures that are on men still, to be emotionally strong, the pressures back then must have been even greater in comparison, and for Lawrence to write Piano as his â€Å"manhood is cast† and reveal his overwhelming emotions even so shows the effect his mother must have had on him. The three poems all deal with the universal themes of love and suffering – Plena Timoris on the loss of love between the two young lovers, and Piano on the remembrance of a love in the past. However, as a reader, Refugee Mother and Child is the one that has the most impact on me because of the familiar hyper-realistic photojournalistic images, that the media frequently show, that appear throughout the poem. This draws out sympathy, guilt and grievance from the reader as many of us in the wealthy portion of the world do not do a significant amount to help, and because we are privileged which makes it hard for us to imagine the circumstance, the resilient love of the mother for her dying son is even more moving, dealing with the themes of love and suffering most powerfully out of the three poems. Of course, Plena Timoris and Piano are also effective in portraying love, but in different guises from that in Refugee Mother and Child. However, the poems have a point in common in that all three poems also movingly illustrate the pain and suffering that is felt through the painful loss of love, which we all hope will never happen but as shown by the poems, inevitably does. This in itself unites the poems, showing the love depicted in each as the same, underneath the surface, and universal.